Two Casualties...

Two casualties occurred in my kitchen early yesterday. After a brief mourning session, I composed myself and picked up the pieces.

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE Oikos Greek Yogurt! Love it! However, it is HARD TO COME BY around these parts. And, when I do run across it, I never find any fun flavors. In comes Kristina from Stonyfield Farms (they make this wonderful yogurt!) to save the day!! She was kind and generous enough to send me a sampling of the flavors! Thank you SO MUCH Kristina!!

Upon opening my big box of refrigerated goodness, I noticed that one of the yogurts had a leak! OH NO!!! I knew at that moment I had to consume it IMMEDIATELY! I couldn't let it go rancid, now could I?! I ingested a big dollop of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt in Plain. This stuff is THICK, RICH, and CREAMY! The website ain't lyin' when it says it! YUM!

You all know I have to get creative with my food, right? Tons of flavor combos rush through my brain!

Flavor concoction #1: Oikos Organic Plain Greek Yogurt, cinnamon bun protein powder, raisins, chopped walnuts, coconut flakes, Saigon Cinnamon

YUM! Who needs sugary, fattening, processed desserts when you can have this rich creamy goodness?! Seriously! So tasty! And the best part? This massive 5.3oz container has some killer nutritional stats! Check out the low carb and sugar stats!! and SUPAH DUPAH high protein in this HUGE container:

plain - Oikos organic - Greek yogurt

Serving Size 1 containerAmount Per Serving 150gCalories 80Calories from Fat 0 % Daily Value^*Total Fat 0g0%Trans Fat 0gSat Fat 0g0%Cholesterol 0mg0%Sodium 60mg3%Potassium 230mg7%Total Carbohydrate 6g2%Dietary Fiber 0g0%Sugars 6gProtein 15g30% Vitamin A 0%Vitamin C 0%Calcium 20%Iron 0%Thiamin 6%Riboflavin 20%Vitamin B6 2%Vitamin B12 15%Pantothenic Acid 8%Phosphorus 20%Magnesium 4% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

OUR FAMILY RECIPE:

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC NONFAT MILK. CONTAINS FIVE LIVE AND ACTIVE CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, AND L. CASEI.

Now, I tried taking a picture, but my sloppy mixing skills left me with an unappealing photo. I will be neater next time.

On to the second casualty...

As I was neatly placing my remaining containers into the fridge, Butterfingers (that would be me) managed to forcefully drop one on the floor. SPLAT! Instant yogurt crisis! This time it was the vanilla flavor. I cleaned up my floor and placed the unharmed remnants (a good 3.6oz, I measured! LOL!) in a container. This brings me to my next tasty concoction!

Flavor concoction #2: Oikos Organic Vanilla Greek Yogurt, vanilla protein powder, frozen wild blueberries

I mixed it all up and placed it in the freezer for an evening snack. This was GREAT! An even healthier version of frozen yogurt! We know the sugar content of frozen yogurts can get pretty scary... we won't even go into the chemical content in most... ;) I love the light sweetness in the Vanilla flavored Oikos, and of course, you still get every bit of the rich creamy goodness that the Plain has.

While the carbs and sugar is a little higher than plain, it is still a LOT lower than regular yogurt. Plus it's creamier, thicker, and just plain better... Have I mentioned the protein is higher?

vanilla - Oikos organic - Greek yogurt

Serving Size 1 containerAmount Per Serving 150gCalories 110Calories from Fat 0 % Daily Value^*Total Fat 0g0%Trans Fat 0gSat Fat 0g0%Cholesterol 0mg0%Sodium 60mg3%Potassium 220mg6%Total Carbohydrate 12g4%Dietary Fiber 0g0%Sugars 11gProtein 15g30% Vitamin A 0%Vitamin C 0%Calcium 20%Iron 0%Thiamin 4%Riboflavin 20%Vitamin B6 2%Vitamin B12 10%Pantothenic Acid 8%Phosphorus 20%Magnesium 4% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

OUR FAMILY RECIPE:

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC NONFAT MILK, ORGANIC SUGAR, ORGANIC NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR. CONTAINS FIVE LIVE AND ACTIVE CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, AND L. CASEI.

Obviously, I could go on and on about how much I love this yogurt. Heck, I have went on and on about it... and I've only tested two of the fabulous flavors! If you want to know more about this indulgent treat that is actually healthy!! check out their site at www.oikosorganic.com ... Get the scoop on the flavors, some recipes, AND there are even COUPONS!! $$$

Raising the (Protein) Bar

Boy oh boy!! I quickly ran drove home over my lunch break to grab some chicken and rice, and much to my surprise, there were packages on my doorstep! YEEEEHAW!!! Of course, I busted those bad boys right open. Teri Jo from Amazing Grass was kind enough to send me a plethora of samples! Thank you so much, Teri Jo!! I can't wait to try them all out. You should have seen my eyes light up when I discovered bars in the mix! What perfect timing! I need a quickie meal replacement.

Naturally, I chose the Organic Green SuperFood Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein bar to try first. In my opinion, you just simply can not go wrong with the peanut butter chocolate flavor combo! Now, for me, this bar is a meal replacement. It's a hefty bar with the nutritional stats to prove it.

Anything that is between 200-300 cals is a meal in my book. I guess that's what happens when you eat a billion times a day! ;)

Now, I'm not afraid to admit... I'm a bit of a bar junky. I have tried SO MANY, and I do have my favorites. Well, this is a new favorite! It's coated with organic chocolate and filled with green, yes GREEN, chewy peanutbuttery goodness.

While I enjoy bars in general, my huge deterrent from eating them constantly is most of them are chemical laden processed crap, covered in fake chocolate. Tasty? Maybe, but not exactly health food. This bar is actually chock full of healthy goodness. Just check out the ingredient list!

Ingredient List:

Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Dates, Whey Protein Concentrate, Organic Peanuts, Organic Rice Crisps, Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Barley Grass, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Spirulina, Organic Spinach, Organic Chlorella, Organic Broccoli, Organic Acai, Organic Maca, Organic Carrot, Organic Beet, Raspberry, Organic Rose Hips, Pineapple, Green Tea, Organic Flax Lignans, L. Adidophilus, Alpha and Beta Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Lactase, Cellulase, Organic Peppermint), Natural Flavor, Peanut Extract, Organic Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt
Organic Dark Chocolate Coating: Cane Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor

To make them even better (and to make my digestive system happier), these bars are gluten free!

I am sold on these bars! and I can't wait to try the other Amazing Grass products in my stash! You can get your own bars and other Amazing Grass products by clicking on my affiliate link on my side bar to the right. I highly recommend them!

Order your Amazing Grass products here!

Late July Organic Snacks

Yum yum gimme some!!!

Jessica from Late July was kind enough to send me some of their mini sandwich cookies, in both Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate flavors. Thank you, Jessica!! The verdict? Absolutely delicious!! In fact, so much so that neither box survived the weekend. These mini sandwich cookies are so tasty! and you can be confident that you are consuming whole grain goodness, calcium, and organic ingredients.



My favorite flavor is the Milk Chocolate. The chocolate filling was the perfect balance to the vanilla cookie. Not too sweet, just sweet enough!



How CUTE are these cookies?! They feature seven different endangered animals. Late July Organic Snacks has teamed with the Jane Goodale Institute with 10 percent of their sale profits supporting the institute. So, not only are you eating something delicious, wholesome, and USDA Certified Organic, you are supporting a great cause -- now that's a feel good snack!





These Mini Sandwich cookies are definitely something I plan on purchasing in the future! Even my husband, who is not the biggest cookie fan, loved them!

Check out their website for more information on their products. There is also a store locater so that you can find these products near you!

2009 Monster Mash Recap

OMFG! What a wonderfully fantastic weekend!!! I will try to cover just my "side" of the story, since I know that Bec and Jes will probably want to post their own experiences. :)

Sooo.... as y'all know, I worked half a day Friday. I come home, change clothes, and LOW AND BEHOLD, I have freaking abs. I'm all excited. I snap a cell pic and text it to my Monster Mash buddies, as well as my friends Michele and Amber. They all know how I obsess about not having them. I also weighed a measley 111.8 that morning. Dr. Joe gave me more food, and I was filling out quite nicely. At the end of the night, I started to look smooth and the abs were disappearing. Bummer. I think I peaked a day early.

So, I lug my junk into the car and take off on my merry way. I'm anxious and excited. I'm wondering what Tasha, Bec, and Jes will be like in real life. I get there before anyone else, and check in, carry all of my crap to the second floor because this hotel has not had a renovation since the Civil War... LOL There are no elevators or anything, and everything just looks old. The room is hot and musty. It was clean, though, and that's all that matters, right?! Tasha arrives shortly after me... EEP!! <-- I think that is the sound I made when I answered the door. LOL! Jess and Becca arrived a little later, and we all squealed like girls, of course!! It was like we had all known each other for years!

I'm missing details, I am sure... oh yeah, we did early check in that evening. The people working the registration (expeditors? I don't know what to call them... let's just call them the "crew")... Anyways, the crew kept asking if I was Bikini all damn weekend long. I wanted to stomp and whine, "I'm FIGURE!!" LOL! It was getting on my nerves. Funny thing, they kept asking Becca if she was Figure.

That night the Bikini girls got to drink wine... I didn't want to be left out, so I did have a sip! Less than half an ounce. I weighed it. LOL!

The next day we were up bright and early. I went for a 15 minute walk around the hotel. It was freaking COLD! Then Bec painted us all... well, except Tasha. Duh! So, there were three naked girls sauntering from room to room. LMFAO. Oh to be a male fly on that wall. HA! I put my face paint on (LOL!) and forgot to moisturize first. Apparently I am drier around the mouth and on my forehead. Well, when I got done w/ my makeup and looked in the mirror in the natural light, the makeup had caked around my mouth and on my forehead. I looked like I had a 5 o'clock shadow. Damn. So, I just put moisturizer on over top of my makeup. Thankfully, it worked. No crisis... yet.

We get to the venue after numerous U-turns... Becca is the only driver I know who actually stops the car and pulls a U-y whenever the GPS asks her to! LOL! We get there, the meeting is slow, and then we go to the changing closet, I mean, dressing room. The room is tiny, CRAMPED, hot, ugh... there were exactly 100 competitors at the show... the majority female... and ONE TOILET! Oh lordy!

Anyways, we get through prejudging. I'm the last in my class, again. Sweet. I can dig it. The class is a monster, so I was happy to go out last so that I didn't have to stand out there as long! LOL! We do our presentation and quarter turns, I get confused somewhere along the way, and when we are asked to go back in line, I didn't know if that meant where we were standing or in the order we are currently standing. Yeah, oops. The audience got a chuckle and so did I. Why I don't get embarrassed over dumb crap like that, I do not know. Maybe I'm just used to being an idiot!

During pre-j, they call the top 5 out. I was the first one called in my little group. I walk up to the #5 spot. We all line up, then they move me first, again... straight to the #1 spot on the floor. I stand there in my dreaded relaxed pose (I hate this pose) while they shuffle people around me. We do quarter turns and I get called out for doing too much of a twist, only I don't realize they are talking to me. DOH! LOL! I stopped twisting once I figured it out. Thank goodness they don't penalize for stupidity.

Figure was after Bikini, so once I got off stage we were allowed to go. I try to nap because I am exhausted and have not slept in days... I have too much energy from the show, though, and can't sleep. I did lay there half asleep for about an hour, managed to drool on myself some, and when the alarm went off, I got up and started to fix the mess I made of myself. I pull my shirt off in the bathroom and my chest and neck are GREEN! GREEN!!!! Oops. I'm not panicking, though. I go off to the main section of the room and show off my green-ness. LOL! They confirmed. I was green. So, I take a damp wash cloth and lightly scrub the green off. I applied Dream Tan over the lighter areas to blend in it again. Another crisis dodged! I used Jan Tana Ultra 1 that morning, so I wasn't sure how it would look.

Night show ran so smooth. I was in mean mode, though, so I just sat there quietly. People were talking, and it was annoying me. Thankfully, misery had company and Becca was in mean mode, too. We just kept exchanging bitchy stares in the mirror. LOL! Bikini is up first and I hear Bec's name called out for second place. I moaned, "NOoooooo!", and then I realized I was in public. LOL! I just really had her pinned for 1st! I wanted her to take it all. She looked so great. I hear her class winner really worked the stage, though. Figure goes up and I'm waiting in line, apparently goofing off with the crew, because Jes calls me out on it. Oopsy. Oh well, it was fun. I just knew the night was almost over and I could shower and put on deodorant soon!

We do our business on stage again (not that kind of business), then the top five go out. I got first! I won my class! HOLY CRAP! It was a huge class! I couldn't believe it. The girl who got 3rd, I had her pinned for first! I got a SWORD!! Yeah baby! I can play ninja now. Seth says it's more of a He-Man sword, though. LOL I immediately am piss tested, and then I go back to the changing room to chill until overalls. It was pretty much just me and the Figure A winner back there. She was a lot of fun, and she got a kick out of my stupidity, so that helped, too. We laughed so much back there. I'm back there eating my candy trying to get harder thinking, "Dammit, there may be a chance. I better fill up and pump up!" Figure A tells me I should slow down... this was 6 pieces of candy corn in. I open a Reese's pumpkin and eat it happily, then try to kill my back and shoulders w/ the bands. We are both still laughing and cracking jokes all the way back to the line by the stage. I'm not really nervous at this point because, well, what are the odds? Figure B looked dynamite, and I thought she won it. We do our quarter turns. The judges have us up there FOREVER... maybe 10 minutes, seriously... the lights are hot. I am sweating... then, then they call out MY NUMBER for the Overall. I swear, I felt like I won Miss America or something. LMAO. I'm so lame, huh? I got a big ol' cup and a "letter" jacket!

I will try to get some pics up later today or later this week. :) I don't have any awards pics! *cries*

For now, you can find them here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133199&id=674740982&l=d35774a9c0&subject=2009 NPC Monster Mash - 10/31/09